Wednesday, November 21, 2012

China Gives Go Ahead on Eco-City - Solar Feeds

Designed by Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, Chengdu Tianfu District Great City promises to become the world’s most energy efficient and sustainable city when it is completed in 2019.

The 1.3 km2 uber-modern metropolis, which will be connected by mass transit links to the nearby megacity of Chengdu (14 million inhabitants), will become home to 80,000 people, none of whom will own a car. On account of the fact that they won’t be allowed. Instead, residents will be able to walk from one end of the new city to the other in just 15 minutes.

The Architectural practice, well known for their innovative work in sustainable buildings, are predicting that the city will use 48% less energy, 58% less water, generate 89% less landfill waste and emit 60% less carbon dioxide than a conventional Chinese City of the same size.

From a functionality point of view, the stand-alone city will offer residential, commercial and educational space, along with light manufacturing and office space and a full medical campus for the use of all residents.

There are also plans for an Eco-Park on the north-west edge of the city which has been designed in collaboration with Mott MacDonald which will use seasonal energy storage technology to harness waste summer heat for winter heating. It will also include a power generation plant employing the latest co-generation technology to provide residents with both electricity and hot water.